1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to building security systems.
2. Background Art
FIG. 1 illustrates a building security system 10 where a gateway/security panel 12 within a building 14 processes alarm system information. The panel 12 locally generates an alarm if the alarm system information indicates a suitable security risk. The alarm system information may be derived from a number of sensors 16 positioned throughout the building 14. The security panel 12 may immediately generate the alarm and/or transmit the alarm to a central monitoring station 18 for verification. In either case, the need for the alarm is determined locally at the building 14.
These local determinations can be problematic, at least, from a service and maintenance perspective. Since the gateway/security panel software used to assess the need for the alarm resides locally in the building 14, any updates or modifications relevant to alarm assessments must be made at the building 14. This requires the panel 12 to be locally modified if it is to accommodate new devices and application logic when new devices, monitoring techniques, or other changes to the building security system are desired. This can increase both complexity and cost of devices in the building 14 when new monitoring features are added or current monitoring capabilities are adjusted.